Localization of hyperfunctioning parathyroids. The surgeons' riddle

Impact of sonography on surgery for primary hyperparathyroidism

The impact of preoperative sonographic localization of enlarged parathyroid glands was evaluated from the standpoint of operative time and complication rates. There was a reduction in the average time from 135 minutes when findings were false-negative to 111 minutes when findings were positive. The rate of complication was not changed by accurate preoperative localization. When the operative goal is to find all parathyroid glands in every patient, the value of preoperative localization of parathyroid tumors by any current method is slight. Should operative policy favor a search for only one enlarged and one normal gland, or should methods improve to the point that even normal parathyroid glands can be located reliably, noninvasive localization should prove to be useful, safe, and cost-effective, even when it is carried out before initial operation.

Diagnosis and surgical treatment of mediastinal parathyroid tumors

Experience and problems in the localization, diagnosis and surgical treatment of mediastinal parathyroid tumors are reported. Arteriography, pneumomediastinum and, especially, selective blood withdrawal with assay of parathyroid hormone, have proven valuable to the authors. Scintigram, intravital staining methods and venography are less productive. Retrosternal parathyroid tumors that can be removed from a Kocher incision should not, for practical reasons, be classified with the mediastinal tumors. The authors recommend the one-phase operation. If, after an intensive search of the neck and behind the sternum, no tumor has been found, it is advisable to incise the sternum step by step and revise the anterior mediastinum in the same session.

Parathyroid tumors as lateral pharyngeal masses: report of a case

This is the first reported case in the literature describing a patient free of the systemic biochemical effects of hyperparathyroidism who presented with a lateral pharyngeal mass. Diagnosis of parathyroid adenoma was made by means of a transoral biopsy prior to definitive surgical treatment. The role of parathyroid lesions in lateral cervical masses is discussed.